Lord we pray "Help me to continually increase parish vitality and reflect the presence of Christ in the world."

Browsing News Entries

Browsing News Entries

Indian state revokes Catholic school's recognition over conversion allegation (UCANews)

The Indian state of Rajasthan (map) revoked its recognition of a Catholic school and ordered its 500 students transferred elsewhere following an allegation of forced conversions.

Parents of 100 of the students at St. Paul Secondary School in Dungarpur district sent a letter to the state’s chief education officer stating the allegation was false. Father Sanjay Dodiyar, the school’s administrator, said that the school is challenging the “absolutely illegal” order in court.

California Catholic college names Rep. Pelosi its commencement speaker (Notre Dame de Namur University)

Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, announced that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, will be its May 2026 commencement speaker.

Five of the 15 members of the university’s board of trustees are Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the university has 306 students, 33 of them undergraduates.

In 2022, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco barred Rep. Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion because of her support for abortion. The university is located within the archdiocese.

Apr. 11 Saturday within the Octave of Easter, Solemnity

Alleluia Verse, Ps 118:24:This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.

Artemis II, Carroll Wiseman and the Catholic Connection

feature

Ghana's leading prelate reminds president of promise to sign family-values legislation (CWN)

The president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a statement emphasizing the importance of the national debate over Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill after the nation’s president, John Mahama, said that the legislation is “not the most important issue we face as a nation,” and after the nation’s Minister of Government Communications described the debate as a “waste of time.”

Islamabad archbishop lauds Pakistan's mediation efforts in Iran war (UCANews)

As Iranian and U.S. delegations—the latter led by Vice President JD Vance— arrived in Pakistan for peace negotiations, the archbishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi praised the “constructive role of Pakistani leadership in promoting peace and stability.”

“War and conflict bring immense suffering to humanity and threaten the fragile peace of the entire world,” said Archbishop Joseph Arshad, whose see is headquartered in Pakistan’s capital. “Peace is not merely a political state but a sacred gift that must be protected through active justice rather than military might.”

The prelate also called on the faithful of his archdiocese to engage in a “counter-offensive of prayer” for peace.

Vatican spokesman backs up Pentagon on tone of January meeting with Cardinal Pierre (The Hill)

The director of the Holy See Press Office supported the Pentagon’s dismissals (1, 2) of a report that Elbridge Colby, the U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy, used threatening language during a January meeting with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, then the apostolic nuncio to the United States.

The meeting was part of the nuncio’s “regular duties and provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest,” said Matteo Bruni. “The account offered by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way,”

Partial reopening of Christian churches in Dubai (The National)

Eight days after Dubai’s government closed Christian churches in the United Arab Emirates’ largest city until further notice, churches were permitted to reopen today with restrictions.

The National, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, reported that only adults who register in advance are permitted to attend. The April 3 directive came amid Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates.

Times asks: Should Father Rupnik's art be removed from churches? (New York Times)

A New York Times article explored the question of whether Father Marko Rupnik’s art, which is found in over 210 churches, should be removed.

The Slovenian priest and artist has been accused of abusing two dozen women. In May 2020, Father Rupnik was declared excommunicated for the canonical offense of absolving an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment; the excommunication was lifted that same month.

In Paris, Latin liturgy helps draw new generation to the Church (National Catholic Register)

The Church of Saint-Roch in Paris, where daily Mass is offered in Latin as well as in French, had more adult converts (55) this Easter than any other parish in the city.

“All our newly baptized, except for a few exceptions, are between 20 and 30 years old,” said Father Thierry Laurent, the parish’s pastor.

The National Catholic Register described the parish as “one of the city’s traditional Latin Mass hotspots.” Paris’s second-ranking parish in the number of conversions, Saint-Eugène–Sainte-Cécile, also has Sunday Latin Masses, in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms.